Pikes Peak

Pikes Peak Manitou Springs Reviews

For those of you who enjoy hiking and love expansive views, you have to check out Pike's Peak which is nestled 14,115 feet (4,302 m) near Colorado Springs. Trekking up this peak is not for the faint-hearted as are with all 14'ers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourteener) in Colorado. There is a 5 mile loop trail and a 13 mile loop trail that I am aware of. Having done the 13 mile trail loop, I must say it is a workout and the change in scenery makes doing it entirely worth it. You start near the Cog railway station at around 6570 ft which takes you on a winding mountain forest. About ½ way up the 13 mile loop you will run into small cabin just off the trail where you can stop (Barr Camp) (http://www.barrcamp.com/) which is at 10,200 feet (3,109 m). There you can rehydrate, enjoy some homemade high altitude pancakes and a spectacular spaghetti dinner. You can even plan your hike so that if you want, you can stay overnight. If you decide to do this, just make sure to book a reservation with Barr Camp. The people that run it are wonderful and accommodating.

Now once you are recharged and turn up the Rocky soundtrack on your ipod, you continue up to the tree line where things go from a plush blanket of trees to a more barren sun ravaged mountainous environment. When you look back at where you started you will be amazed with the view, at least I was! Once you reach this point you will have about another 3-4 miles to go. It’s hard work getting to the summit, but once there you will be shocked (at least I was because when you are climbing it doesn’t look like you could put anything on the top of the mountain) to see some shops and a railway up on top.

In short, it’s an amazing view at the top. For those who are not acclimatized to higher elevation, it might be a problem for you to hike to the top as well as just taking the Cog railway to the summit. In fact, if you take the Cog rail way up to the summit, they only allow you to stay at 14,115 feet (4,302 m) for only 30 minutes.

You will first have to decide whether you want to hike, ride a cog railway or drive to the top of this mountain. Just make sure if you decide to drive up that your vehicle has decent brakes! Taking the railway is pretty fun and it's right around a 3 hour trip. I would recommend doing a day hike along any of the trails guaranteeing to see wildlife. The trails that branch off from the main (Barr trail) can range from fairly easy to very hard. I would recommend doing the Incline trail if you enjoy a challenging hike, however, be advised this trail climbs over 2000ft in just 1 mile hence the name INCLINE (http://www.inclineclub.com/incline/). I would consider this one of the more popular trails, especially for the locals. As long as the weather cooperates at the peak (14,110ft), people say you can see over 100 miles away.

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